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<title>Waiting for Kaede by BonfireRose</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27592384">Waiting for Kaede</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonfireRose/pseuds/BonfireRose'>BonfireRose</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Ficlet, Gen, Post-Game, Short One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:41:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27592384</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonfireRose/pseuds/BonfireRose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I have to be ready to play this when Kaede gets back.</p>
<p>DRV3 SPOILERS AHEAD</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Waiting for Kaede</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Shuichi?"</p>
<p>I barely hear Himiko's voice over the sound of my piano practice. She's always been a quiet talker.</p>
<p>"What do you want?" I pause my practice and turn to face her.</p>
<p>"Can you come train with me and Maki? Please?" She puts on her best puppy-dog eyes and climbs onto the piano bench next to me. "You've been practicing all day."</p>
<p>"I really need the practice, though," I respond. "I have to be ready to play this when Kaede gets back."</p>
<p>"But we also need to practice for when Tenko and Kaito get back," Himiko pleads. "I want to surprise Tenko with how strong I get!"</p>
<p>I sigh, caving in. My fingers could use a little break. "Okay. I'll come train with you two."</p>
<p>"Yay!" Himiko hops off the piano bench and leaves the piano room. I follow close behind.</p>
<p>My hands instinctively go into my pockets, feeling its contents. Two pens, the good kind with smooth ink. A small pad of sticky notes in case I need to write anything down in an emergency. The newspaper clipping of Kaede's obituary. The other newspaper clipping, the headline announcing the arrest of several members of Team Danganronpa. A few paperclips. A candy wrapper that I really need to remember to throw away.</p>
<p>Himiko and I walk outside, the sun shining brightly. Maki is already doing push-ups. Himiko drops down next to her, and I join in. I remember how weak my arms were when I first started training with Kaito. I've gotten a lot stronger since then. He'll be proud of me when he gets back, I just know it.</p>
<p>Kaito, covered in blood. Kaito, lying dead in front of me.</p>
<p>Kaede, her face blue, her neck bruised.</p>
<p>My arms suddenly give out under me. Himiko and Maki both notice, pausing to check up on me.</p>
<p>"You okay, Shuichi?" Maki asks, helping me up to a sitting position.</p>
<p>"I... I don't know," I mumble. "I just... remembered some stuff. About our friends dying." The words spill out without me really registering what I'm saying.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I kept thinking about Tenko's death earlier today too," Himiko says, leaning in to rest her head on my shoulder. "But it's okay. They have to come back somehow. I just know it." Maki nods her approval, and soon enough I join in. We all go back to our workout.</p>
<p>I need to be strong when they get back.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>I know they'll never return, but my heart doesn't.</p>
<p>It never will.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've nearly finished Joan Didion's <em>The Year of Magical Thinking</em> for a class I'm in. This was written after binge-reading about half the book after having fallen behind on assignments. If you haven't read it before, go read it. It's good.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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